CYPERACEAE

SEDGE FAMILY

Raymond Cranfill, except as specified

Annual or perennial herb, often rhizomed, often of wet open places, generally monoecious; roots fibrous, hairy
Stem generally 3-sided
Leaves often 3-ranked; sheath generally closed; ligule generally 0; blade (0) various, parallel-veined
Inflorescence: spikelets variously clustered; flowers generally sessile in axil of flower bract
Flower small, generally wind-pollinated; perianth 0 or bristle-like; stamens generally 3, anthers attached at base, 4-chambered; ovary superior, 1-chambered, 1-ovuled, style 2–3-branched
Fruit: achene, generally 3-sided
Genera in family: ± 110 genera, 3600 species: worldwide, especially temp
Reference: [Tucker 1987 J Arnold Arbor 68:361–445]
Difficult: taxa differ in technical characters of inflorescence and fruit.

CYPERUS

NUTSEDGE, GALINGALE

Gordon C. Tucker

Annual or perennial herb, glabrous
Stems generally > 1, erect, 2–100 cm, 3-angled or round
Leaves basal; blades 0 or linear
Inflorescence: bracts 1–9, leaf-like, spreading or erect; rays < 10 cm; spikelets flat to ± cylindric; flower bracts 2-ranked, 1 per flower, 2–36 per spikelet
Flower bisexual; perianth 0; stigmas generally 3
Fruit (ob)ovoid, generally 3-angled, brown, generally not beaked
Etymology: (Greek: name for 1 sp.)
Reference: [Tucker 1983 Syst Bot Monogr 2:1–85]
Mature fruit generally needed for identification. C. unioloides R. Br. and C. virens Michx. probably only waifs in CA.

Native

C. eragrostis Lam.

Perennial 10–90 cm
Inflorescence: bracts 4–8, 3–50 cm; rays 0–10, 20–100 mm; spikelets 20–70, 5–20 mm, flat, oblong, in spheric heads 1.5–4 cm wide; flower bracts 6–12 per spikelet, 2–2.3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, beige; tip acute
Fruit 1.2–1.4 mm, stalked, finely reticulate, black or dark brown; tip beaked
Ecology: Vernal pools, streambanks, ditches
Elevation: 0–700 m.
Bioregional distribution: California Floristic Province
Distribution outside California: Oregon; also temperate S.America
Horticultural information: STBL; INV.